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Rain, a Restaging of a Minimalistic Classic by Rosas

Rain (2001), is set to Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, which he composed in 1976. Based on Reich’s musical score, the choreographer and dancers jointly developed the dance phrases and scenes. More often than not, the nine dancers occupy the stage at the same time, displaying a great variety of technically and physically challenging group dances, creating a vibrant feast for the eyes. It is fascinating to see how the dancers skillfully converge and disperse, displaying continuous variations in movements and the captivating minimalistic music that stirs emotions.

It is worth mentioning that the 2016 version, restaged by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker for a group of new dancers 15 years after Rain’s debut, will be presented. Despite being an “historical” work, it shows techniques and forms still relevant today. Let us see how the young dancers give this classical masterpiece a new lease of life.

By William W.Y. Chan
Hong Kong art critic and media producer, mainly involved in performing arts studies and teaching of media in recent years

This article is excerpted and translated from Chinese

 

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